It is well known that many species adapt to their environment, but it is usually assumed that only the most highly evolved species alter their environment in ways that aid their own survival. However, this characteristic is actually quite common. Certain species of plankton, for example, generate a gas that is converted in the atmosphere into particles of sulfate. These particles cause water vapor to condense, thus forming clouds. Indeed, the formation of clouds over the ocean largely depends on the presence of these particles. More cloud cover means more sunlight is reflected, and so the Earth absorbs less heat. Thus plankton cause the surface of the Earth to be cooler and this benefits the plankton.

Of the following, which one most accurately expresses the main point of the argument?

A. The Earth would be far warmer than it is now if certain species of plankton became extinct,

B. By altering their environment in ways that improve their chances of survival, certain species of plankton benefit the Earth as a whole.

C. Improving their own chances of survival by altering the environment is not limited to the most highly evolved species.

D. The extent of the cloud cover over the oceans is largely determined by the quantity of plankton in those oceans.

E. Species such as plankton alter the environment in ways that are less detrimental to the well-being of other species than are the alterations to the environment made by more highly evolved species.

On a Tuesday, an accountant has exactly seven bills -- numbered 1 through 7 -- to pay by Thursday of the

same week. The accountant will pay each bill only once according to the following rules:

Either three or four of the seven bills must be paid on Wednesday, the rest on Thursday.

Bill 1 cannot be paid on the same day as bill 5.

Bill 2 must be paid on Thursday.

Bill 4 must be paid on the same day as bill 7.

If bill 6 is paid on Wednesday, bill 7 must be paid on Thursday.

If bill 6 is paid on Wednesday, which one of the following bills must also be paid on Wednesday?

A. 1

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5

E. 7

A government ought to protect and encourage free speech, because free speech is an activity that is conducive to a healthy nation and thus is in the best interest of its people.

The main conclusion above follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

A. An activity that is in the best interest of the people ought to be protected and encouraged by a nation's government.

B. Basic, inalienable rights of the people ought to be protected and encouraged by government.

C. An activity that helps a government to govern ought to be protected and encouraged by it.

D. A government ought to protect and encourage an activity that is conducive to the interests of that government.

E. Universal human rights that are in the best interest of the people ought to be protected and encouraged by a nation's government.

A music store carries exactly ten types of CDs -- both new and used of each of jazz, opera, pop, rap, and

soul. The store is having a sale on some of these types of CDs. The following conditions must apply:

Used pop is on sale; new opera is not.

If both types of pop are on sale, then all soul is.

If both types of jazz are on sale, then no rap is.

If neither type of jazz is on sale, then new pop is.

If either type of rap is on sale, then no soul is.

If neither type of jazz is on sale, then each of the following must be true EXCEPT:

A. Used opera is on sale.

B. New rap is not on sale.

C. Used rap is not on sale.

D. New soul is on sale.

E. Used soul is on sale

Professor Beckstein: American Sign Language is the native language of many North Americans. Therefore, it is not a foreign language, and for that reason alone, no student should be permitted to satisfy the university's foreign language requirement by learning it. Professor Sedley: According to your argument, students should not be allowed to satisfy the university's foreign language requirement by learning French or Spanish either, since they too are the native languages of many North Americans. Yet many students currently satisfy the requirement by studying French or Spanish, and it would be ridiculous to begin prohibiting them from doing so.

Professor Sedley uses which one of the following strategies of argumentation in responding to Professor Beckstein's argument?

A. attempting to demonstrate that the reasoning used to reach a certain conclusion leads to another conclusion that is undesirable

B. trying to show that a certain conclusion contradicts some of the evidence used to support it

C. questioning an opponent's authority to address the issue under discussion

D. offering an alternative explanation of the facts used to arrive at a specific conclusion

E. agreeing with the conclusion of a particular argument while rejecting the evidence used to support the conclusion

Unlike newspapers in the old days, today's newspapers and televised news programs are full of stories about murders and assaults in our city. One can only conclude from this change that violent crime is now out of control, and, to be safe from personal attack, one should not leave one's home except for absolute necessities.

Which one of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the conclusion?

A. Newspapers and televised news programs have more comprehensive coverage of violent crime than newspapers did in the old days.

B. National data show that violent crime is out of control everywhere, not just in the author's city.

C. Police records show that people experience more violent crimes in their own neighborhoods than they do outside their neighborhoods.

D. Murder comprised a larger proportion of violent crimes in the old days than it does today.

E. News magazines play a more important role today in informing the public about crime than they did in the old days.

Americans have always been interested in their Presidents' wives. Many First Ladies have been remembered because of the ways they have influenced their husbands. Other First Ladies have made the history books on their own. At least two First Ladies, Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson, made it their business to send signals during their husbands' speeches. When Lady Bird Johnson thought her husband was talking too long, she wrote a note and sent it up to the platform. It read, "It's time to stop!" And he did. Once Bess Truman didn't like what her husband was saying on television, so she phoned him and said," If you can't talk more politely than that in public, you come right home." Abigail Fillmore and Eliza Johnson actually taught their husbands, Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, the thirteenth and seventeenth Presidents. A schoolteacher, Abigail eventually married her pupil, Millard. When Eliza Johnson married Andrew, he could not read or write, so she taught him herself.

It was First Lady Helen Taft's idea to plant the famous cherry trees in Washington, D. C. Each spring these blossoming trees attract thousands of visitors to the nation's capital. Mrs. Taft also influenced the male members of her family and the White House staff in a strange way: she convinced them to shave off their beards! Shortly after President Wilson suffered a stroke, Edith Wilson unofficially took over most of the duties of the Presidency until the end of her husband's term. Earlier, during World War I, Mrs. Wilson had had sheep brought onto the White House lawn to eat the grass. The sheep not only kept the lawn mower but provided wool for an auction sponsored by the First Lady. Almost $100,000 was raised for the Red Cross. Dolly Madison saw to it that a magnificent painting of George Washington was not destroyed during the War of 1812. As the British marched toward Washington, D. C., she remained behind to rescue the painting, even after the guards had left. The painting is the only object from the original White House that was not burned. One of the most famous First Ladies was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was active in political and social causes throughout her husband's tenure in office. After his death, she became famous for her humanitarian work in the United Nations. She made life better for thousands of needy people around the world.

What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The Humanitarian work of the First Ladies is critical in American government.

B. Dolly Madison was the most influential president's wife.

C. Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the First Lady image.

D. The First Ladies are important in American culture.

E. The First Ladies are key supporters of the Presidents.

When using a metal file, always remember to bear down on the forward stroke only. On the return stroke, lift the file clear of the surface to avoid dulling the instrument's teeth. Only when working on very soft metals is it advisable to drag the file's teeth slightly on the return stroke. This helps clear out metal pieces from between the teeth. It is best to bear down just hard enough to keep the file cutting at all times. Too little pressure uses only the tips of the teeth; too much pressure can chip the teeth. Move the file in straight lines across the surface. Use a vice to grip the work so that your hands are free to hold the file. Protect your hands by equipping the file with a handle. Buy a wooden handle and install it by inserting the pointed end of the file into the handle hole.

When using a file

A. always bear down on the return stroke

B. move it in a circle

C. remove the handle

D. press down on the forward stroke

E. wear protective gloves

Most scientists who study the physiological effects of alcoholic beverages have assumed that wine, like beer or distilled spirits, is a drink whose only active ingredient is alcohol. Because of this assumption, these scientists have rarely investigated the effects of wine as distinct from other forms of alcoholic beverages. Nevertheless, unlike other alcoholic beverages, wine has for centuries been thought to have healthful effects that these scientists ?who not only make no distinction among wine, beer, and distilled spirits but also study only the excessive or abusive intake of these beverages ?have obscured.

Recently, a small group of researchers has questioned this assumption and investigated the effects of moderate wine consumption. While alcohol has been shown conclusively to have negative physiological effects ?for example, alcohol strongly affects the body's processing of lipids (fats and other substances including cholesterol), causing dangerous increases in the levels of these substances in the blood, increases that are a large contributing factor in the development of premature heart disease ?the researchers found that absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream occurs much more slowly when subjects drink wine than when they drink distilled spirits. More remarkably, it was discovered that deaths due to premature heart disease in the populations of several European countries decreased dramatically as the incidence of moderate wine consumption increased. One preliminary study linked this effect to red wine, but subsequent research has shown identical results whether the wine was white or red. What could explain such apparently healthful effects?

For one thing, the studies show increased activity of a natural clot-breaking compound used by doctors to restore blood flow through blocked vessels in victims of heart disease. In addition, the studies of wine drinkers indicate increased levels of certain compounds that may help to prevent damage from high lipid levels. And although the link between lipid processing and premature heart disease is one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine, in the past 20 years researchers have found several additional important contributing factors. We now know that endothelial cell reactivity (which affects the thickness of the innermost walls of blood vessels) and platelet adhesiveness (which influences the degree to which platelets cause blood to clot) are each linked to the development of premature heart disease. Studies show that wine appears to have ameliorating effects on both of these factors: it decreases the thickness of the innermost walls of blood vessels, and it reduces platelet adhesiveness. One study demonstrated a decrease in platelet adhesiveness among individuals who drank large amounts of grape juice. This finding may be the first step in confirming speculation that the potentially healthful effects of moderate wine intake may derive from the concentration of certain natural compounds found in grapes and not present in other alcoholic beverages.

In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which one of the following?

A. advocating a particular method of treatment

B. criticizing popular opinion

C. correcting a scientific misconception

D. questioning the relevance of newly discovered evidence

E. countering a revolutionary hypothesis

A new bank has decided to stay open only on weekends - all day Saturday and Sunday - and no other

days. The bank has hired two managers (U and V), Four tellers (W,X,Y, and Z), and two operation officers

(S and T), for a total of exactly eight full-time employees.

No part-time employees are hired.

Each employee works a complete day when working.

A manager must be on duty each day.

The managers cannot work on the same day.

At least two tellers must be working on the same day.

W and X will not work on the same day.

S and Z will only work on Saturday.

No employee can work on consecutive days, but each employee must work on Saturday or Sunday.

Which one of the following is a complete and accurate list of the employees who have the possibility of

working on Sunday?

A. UWYZ

B. UWYS

C. UVWXT

D. UVWXYT

E. UVWXYTS